Necktie holding device



April 21, 1964 B. R. HODGE NECKTIE HOLDING DEVICE Filed July 19, 1961 BERNARD R. H0065 21"" F I 7 INVENTOR.

ATTO IVEYS.

United States Patent() 3,l29,475 NECKTIE HLDING DEVICE Bernard Il. Hodge, 752 West End Ave., New York 25, NX. Filed July I9, 1961, Ser. No. 125,226 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-49) This invention relates to necktie holding devices and more particularly to such a device of improved construction which is easily and inexpensively produced, which permits a tie to be easily knotted thereon, and which may be readily and securely attached to and detached from a collar.

In my copending application Serial No. 833,483 liled August 13, 1959, now Patent No. 2,993,249, dated July 25, 1961, I have disclosed a necktie holder comprising a unitary sheet of flexible form-retaining material, such as sheet etal, which is bent along a fold line to form front and rear sections integral with each other. The front section has a slot extending generally parallel to the fold line for securing a necktie in knotted form on the front section. The rear section has integral wing pieces engageable with the front of the collar band and also has an integral holding tab extending between these wing pieces from the fold portion and engageable with the rear of the collar band to secure the holder to this band. A four-in-hand tie may be knotted on the front section by passing it through the slot, folding it around the front section, and then passing it again through the slot, so that the front section gives body to the knot and holds the tie securely in the desired knotted form.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a necktie holding device which serves the function of the device disclosed in my aforesaid copending application but which is adapted for manufacture at lower cost, is held more securely on the collar, and allows the knotted tie to present a more natural and pleasing appearance on the holding device.

A necktie holder made according to the invention comprises a molded plastic unit forming front and rear sections integral with each other. The rear section has a continuous upper portion and also has a pair of spaced wings and an intermediate holding tab depending from the upper portion and integral therewith. The wings are engageable with the outside or front of the collar band, while the holding tab is displaced rearwardly relative to the adjacent edges of the wings and is engageable with the inside of the collar band to secure the holder to the band. The front section of the device is in the form of a bail spanning the opposite end portions of the rear section and defining with the upper edge of its upper portion a horizontally extending slot. This slot has a length substantially greater than its width and is of suilicient size for passage of a necktie therethrough, whereby the slot is adapted for securing a necktie in knotted form on the bail.

In the preferred construction of the new necktie holder, the bail is of arcuate form so as to give the desired body to the tie knot, and it slants forwardly and upwardly from the opposite end portions of the rear section so as to hold the knot in an elevated position where it conceals the rear section lying behind the knot. Also, the upper edge of the rear section is of arcuate form and arcs downwardly from its intermediate portion to its end portions, thereby conforming generally to the contour of the upper portion of the knot and facilitating concealment of the holding device by the knot. To provide a firmer grip of the holding device with the collar band, I prefer to form horizontal corrugations on the front face of the holding tab and on the rear faces of the wings adjacent the holding tab. The bail, which has its ends molded to the opposite end portions of the rear section in molding the device as a ICC unit, preferably has its ends located somewhat below the upper edge of the rear section. Intermediate its ends, the bail may have an upstanding longitudinal flange which assists in holding the tie knot in an elevated position to conceal the rear section.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. l is a front view of a necktie knotted on the new holding device and secured in position on a collar band;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but with the collar tabs raised and with part of the tie knot broken away;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a preferred form of the new necktie holder;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the holder shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6 6 in FIG. l; and

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the holder shown in FIGS. 2-6, the holder being shown applied to the collar band but without the necktie knotted on the holder.

The necktie holding device as illustrated comprises a rear section shown generally at Ill and a front section shown generally at 1I (FIG. 3). The sections I@ and 11 are integral with each other and are formed in a molding operation from a thermosetting resin such as a resin of the melamine or urea-formaldehyde type, or a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene.

The rear section 1li comprises a continuous upper p0rtion 12, the upper edge of which is of arcuate shape and arcs downwardly from its intermediate portion. The rear section also includes a pair of spaced wings I3 and an intermediate holding tab 14 depending from the upper portion 12 and integral therewith. The wings 13 are engageable on their rear faces with the outside of the usual collar band B. The intermediate holding tab I4 is displaced rearwardly relative to the adjacent edges of the wings I3 and is engageable on its front surface with the inside of the collar band B directly behind the usual button A (FIGS. 6 and 7). More particularly, the holding tab I4 has its upper portion 14a extending horizontally in the rearward direction from the back of the upper portion 12 of rear section Il), so that the main body or depending part of the holding tab is displaced somewhat rearwardly from the adjacent edges of the wings I3 (FIG. 5). The lower portion of tab I4 tapers downwardly, as shown at 141:, and the lower portions of the wings 13 are also tapered downwardly, as best shown in FIG. 4.

The front section 1I of the necktie holder is in the form of a bail 16 spanning the opposite end portions of the rear section 10. Thus, the bail 16 denes with the upper edge 12 of the rear section a horizontally extending slot Ida. This slot is of a length substantially greater than its width and is of sufficient size for passage of a necktie therethrough so that the slot is adapted for securing a necktie in knotted form on the bail 16, The bail 16 is of arcuate form as seen from above and from the front of the device (FIGS. 3-4). As shown particularly in FIG. 5, the bail 16 slants forwardly and upwardly from the upper portion 12 of the rear section, whereby the intermediate portion of the bail lies somewhat above the corresponding portion of the upper part I2 of rear section It). The intermediate portion of the bail is formed with an integral upstanding flange I7 extending longitudinally of the bail, for a purpose to be described presently. As best shown in FIG. 4, the ends of the bail 16, which are molded integral with the opposite end portions, respectively, of the rear section, are disposed somewhat below the upper edge of the upper portion l2 of the rear section, as shown at 18.

The holding tab 14 is formed on its front face with horizontal corrugations 20. Similarly, the wings 13 are formed on rear faces with horizontal coirugations 21 adjacent the vertical slots between the wings and the intermediate holding tab 14.

As previously mentioned, the upper edge of the rear section lo arcs or bows downwardly from its intermediate portion. This rear section also bows rearwardly from its intermediate portion, as shown in FIG. 3, to conform generally with the curvature of the neckband B on the wearer of the tie. However, the radius of curvature of the rear section 19, as viewed in FIG. 3, is substantially greater than the radius of curvature of the bail 16, so as to form the horizontally elongated slot 16a. Thus, the slot 16a is of generally crescent shape as viewed in FIG. 3.

The necktie holding device is applied to the usual neckband B of the conventional collar C. The neckband B is held closed by the button A secured to one end portion of the neckband and adapted to be received in a buttonhole in the other end portion of the band, as is conventional and will be readily understood. To attach the tie holding device to the collar, the tabs of collar C are raised, as shown in FiG. 2, and the holding tab 14 of the holding device is inserted within the collar band and directiy in back of the button A (FIG. 6), the Wings 13 engaging the outside of the collar band at opposite sides of the button A (FIG. 7). Accordingly, the tie holding device is clamped securely on the collar by the outward pressure of holding tab 14 and the inward pressure of wings 13. The parts 13-14 are suiciently resilient to accommodate the aforementioned application of the holding device to the collar band and, when so applied, exert their inherent spring action to retain the device securely on the collar band. It will be apparent that the corrugations 26-21, by their gripping action, assist in clamping the holding device securely on the collar band. The tie holding device may be removed from the collar band by simply lifting the device with suicient force to overcome the gripping action and disengage the holding tab 14 from behind the button A.

Before the tie holding device is applied to the collar as previously described, a necktie T is knotted on the bail 16 by passing the tie through the slot 16a with the wider portion of the tie in front of the bail, then folding the narrower end portion of the tie around the end portions of the bail 16, and then passing the latter end portion of the tie back through slot 16a from the rear to the front of bail 16 so that the narrower end portion of the tie lies behind the wider end portion. A similar tie knotting arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,798,226 dated July 9, 1957, although the tie as there shown does not extend through a slot in the tie holding device.

With the necktie T applied to the tie holding device as described above, the tie knot extends from end to end of the bail 16 and is held with its upper edge above the upper edge of rear section 10. Thus the tie holding device is completely concealed by the tie T and by the tabs of collar C when the latter are folded down into normal position (FIG. 1). The upstanding ange 17 on the bail 16, being located at the central portion of the tie knot, assists in holding the latter in the desired elevated position relative to the tie holding device and in providing the desired body to the knot. Also, the arcuate shape of the bail 16 gives the tie knot the desired natural appearance and body.

It will be apparent that once the necktie T is knotted on the tie holding device, the tie may be attached to or detached from the collar repeatedly without any further knotting of the tie or any unknotting of the tie, which is obviously a distinct advantage.

1n addition to its advantages previously described with respect to the ease of its application and removal, the pleasing appearance which it gives to the tie knot and its complete concealment by the knot, the new tie holding device may be manufactured at low cost by a simple molding operation. The resin in fluid state is injected into the mold (not shown) and is cured therein at the necessary curing temperature, after which the mold is opened and the device is removed from the mold in the unitary form shown in the drawings.

I claim:

1. A necktie holder for attachment to a collar band, which comprises a molded plastic unit forming front and rear sections integral with each other, said rear section having a central portion and also having a pair of lateral wings extending rearwardly from said central portion, the rear section also having an intermediate holding tab depending frorn said central portion and integral therewith, said wings being engageable with the outside of the collar band, the holding tab having a depending portion displaced rearwardl f relative to said central portion of the rear section and being engageable with the inside of the collar band to secure the holder to said band, said front section being in the form of a bail rigidly connected at its opposite ends to said wings of the rear section to hold the bail in xed relation to and directly in front of the rear section, the bail and rear section curving rearwardly from their central portions toward said opposite ends but with the radius of said curvature of the rear section being substantially greater than the radius of said curvature of the bail, whereby the bail denes with the rear section a generally horizontally extending, fixed slot of crescent shape located in front of the rear section, said slot having a length substantially greater than its width and being of sufiicient size for passage of a necktie therethrough in front of said rear section, whereby the slot is adapted for securing a necktie in knotted form on said bail.

2. A necktie holder according to claim 1, in which the bail has an upstanding longitudinal ange on its interrnediate portion.

3. A necktie holder according to claim l, in which the tab is formed on its front face with horizontal corrugations. i

4. A necktie holder according to claim 1, in which the wings are formed on their rear faces with horizontal corrugations adjacent the intermediate tab.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,993,249 Hodge July 25, 1961 FOREGN PATENTS 103,065 Australia Jan. 25, 1938 935,260 France Feb. 2, 1948 1,057,764 France Nov. 4, 1953 

1. A NECKTIE HOLDER FOR ATTACHMENT TO A COLLAR BAND, WHICH COMPRISES A MOLDED PLASTIC UNIT FORMING FRONT AND REAR SECTIONS INTEGRAL WITH EACH OTHER, SAID REAR SECTION HAVING A CENTRAL PORTION AND ALSO HAVING A PAIR OF LATERAL WINGS EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM SAID CENTRAL PORTION, THE REAR SECTION ALSO HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE HOLDING TAB DEPENDING FROM SAID CENTRAL PORTION AND INTEGRAL THEREWITH, SAID WINGS BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE OUTSIDE OF THE COLLAR BAND, THE HOLDING TAB HAVING A DEPENDING PORTION DISPLACED REARWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID CENTRAL PORTION OF THE REAR SECTION AND BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE INSIDE OF THE COLLAR BAND TO SECURE THE HOLDER TO SAID BAND, SAID FRONT SECTION BEING IN THE FORM OF A BAIL RIGIDLY CONNECTED AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS TO SAID WINGS OF THE REAR SECTION TO HOLD THE BAIL IN FIXED RELATION TO AND DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE REAR 